Corona Devotionals

We had some friends over to our house the other day.  It was a mixed group of people, and everyone did not know each other prior to the gathering.  And truth-be-told, I had cast a wide net, but I didn't really  know who would be attending.   All I "knew" was that it was my role to "ask", and that God would work out who "answered". As we readied the rooms, and lit some candles, and plated some food, and tidied some corners... I prayed .  People were coming over, and I knew that their draw wasn't me, but they would be answering a knock on their heart from the Lord.   The gathering, although nothing fancy or formal, was God's idea .  The sweet tea and banana-frosted cookies were my job, but the purpose and fulfillment...that was all Jesus, and He and I both knew that. Why does anyone walk through the door to a home?  And what needs/desires/prayers are on their hearts that we can be aware (or involved) in?  Only God can answer that....

We forget where our wins come from.  We gain speed and momentum and we think we  are providing the torque. We advance, or our efforts succeed, and our pride swells and settles and steals  God's glory. We forget where our wins come from.   And God (through His Word) reminds us today: So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.  ~Zechariah 4:6 Zing!!   God is first, and God is fierce, and (still), we forget  Him sometimes.  We elevate ourselves and we claim the prizes in our victories.  But (Spoiler-alert!!) God gets all the glory because He is the author and the hero of our story.   For real.   It is not by our might , or in  our own might that we progress or attain success.  It is only by the Lord and His Spirit .   Only. And power ?  Even the sheer word forces us to remember and realize that...

Do you remember how you learned that 2x3=6?   Or that 4x7=28?   Times tables.  Studying.  Memorization.  Dedica.tion.  ...and flash cards.   In our home, we learned our times tables by studying flash cards. Our family had (dreaded) rectangular flash cards that held the (unanswered) math equation on one side, and the (full) answered math equation on the flip side.  And we studied those flash cards... alot .  We would partner up with a family member and one person would repeatedly flip through cards in that rectangle deck of equations, until the other person could answer quickly and methodically.   Or until they cried because they couldn't.  ( Whichever came first during that particular flashcard session.) And by the way, this took time.   And repetition.  I did not know  that 9x7=63 right off the bat.  That took time and repetition for me to memorize.  But eventually, and as a result of re...

Happy Father's Day. What does this mean?  What makes  a father happy  or to have cause for joy  on any day, or... today ? The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.  ~Proverbs 23:24  We all have a father... a dad .   Some  man begot us and was the reason we are here today.  Happy Father's Day to him today, whether present or passed.  And if  the father of godly children has cause for joy ...have-we/did-we/ are-we bringing our earthly father joy ?   Did-he or does -he experience pleasure because we  are children who are wise ? It's a bit of a loaded question, and one that can stir up a few (yesterday) regrets in answering.   ( I'm sorry, Dad .)    But perhaps reviewing and reflecting on  Proverbs 23:24 can make us a more godly child   (at any age) to our dads  today. The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasur...